Wednesday, June 3, 2009

It had happened. In the past, I could simply engage and walk away – but here I was, in a stationary role, where I would remain for some time to come.

Why is this a problem? Because I’m never sure that I can keep my mouth shut long enough to get out of a situation like this. First rule of teaching: You must always keep a professional attitude around students. No matter where you are. You could be at a concert, a rave, a movie, the botanical gardens – heck, if you’re at a bar and a student walks in, in theory you should leave. These are the rules. And here I was at a convention where people were dressed up as giant brown rectangles with faces, as well as sailor scouts from a youth long ago. Professional Decorum and Anime North – as well as myself when engaged with Karaoke – seemed impossible. Still, I channeled some wise words: Just shut up, and nod a lot. And shut up and nod a lot I did, saving me from what could have been a disaster of a situation.

Again – it’s not that I don’t appreciate being seen by students out side of class, in fact I think it works to humanize me, which I like – I just have to remember to stay “in character.” In theory, I guess I was cosplaying as “Mistash Bee.” more or less.

My student signed up for a song, and I’d be damned if I was going to leave before that song was performed. So I waited, and I waited – growing ever more tired, reminiscing of that comfortable place on the carpet, where I’d just been napping – I also considered crawling under the sheet of a table, but assumed that I might be accidentally kicked, or otherwise injured (such as purposefully kicked) as time went on.

An hour later – and after participating in a rousing group sing of the Pokemon theme (until I saw a cellphone video camera pointed in my direction, causing me to remember my cosplaying role) – the song was performed. And marvelously too. The talent of some people never ceases to amaze me. And with that, I categorically defined my day as over, and headed to the parking lot to sleep. In the back of my van. Don’t worry – I brought changes of clothing.

From two thirty aye em, until four thirty aye em I slept in the back of my van, stretched out as I had when I travelled across Canada. From two thirty I rested, somewhat. I rested in shorts, and I rested in a t-shirt. And that was all. There was no jacket, no towel, no long pants, or long sleeves. I had nothing to keep me warm. And it was COLD! Frigid. It was colder inside the van, than outside. The next day, someone would try to teach me the science behind this – but I had no time. I was too busy complaining about how cold it was. Out of the van! Into a video room – where, as this is a fifty hour event, movies were still playing – and back to my comfortable corner.

I slept there clutching my bag, and camera, and worldly possessions, until six thirty when the great migration occurred. Everyone left the video room, to go pass out on the tables in the main hall, or the couches scattered around the hotel. I opted for the tables, with the rest of the masses. And there I slept until eight o’clock in the morning.